Why Was The WSPU Formed?

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Why Was The WSPU Formed?

By 1900 women had been campaigning for women’s right to vote for over half a century. In 1903 the ‘Votes for Women’ campaign was energised when the WSPU, Women’s Social and Political Union was created. Founded in Manchester by Emmeline, Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst, the WSPU aimed to pursue women’s right to vote in parliamentary elections, with comparison to men. In this short essay I cam going to outline the short and long term reasons why the WSPU was formed.

The movement which aimed to achieve women’s right to vote was said to have started in 1832 after a large number of men were granted the vote. Women suffrage campaigners pointed out that while educated and high class women could not vote; poor, uneducated workmen could. It was seen as unfair that women shouldn’t qualify for the vote on the same terms as men.

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There were also many other arguments in favor of women’s suffrage. Working laws in Britain were seen to discriminate against women. Women worked long hours in factories. Men could vote in order to change this, by the early 1900s, however women didn’t have this luxury. Suffrage campaigners pointed out that Marriage laws were unfair to women. Until 1870 a women couldn’t keep her possessions because her husband owned everything. A divorce could only be obtained through and act of Parliament and women couldn’t divorce for the same reasons as men. Women were also fed up with their status in ...

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